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Community · 1 August 2026

Why players never pay

The single hardest thing about getting a group into a roleplaying game is getting everybody to say yes. Cost should never be the reason someone says no.

The hardest part of running a tabletop RPG has never been the rules. It is getting five or six busy adults to agree on a night, a place, and a game — and then keeping them coming back.

Every extra obstacle you put in front of that is a reason for somebody to drop out. A rulebook to buy. A subscription to sign up for. An account to create before they even know whether they like it. So Age of Instinct removes the biggest one: players never pay. Not for a trial, not for a limited seat, not ever.

Only the person doing the work pays

Running a game is work. Preparing it, hosting it, keeping the story moving — that is where the software earns its keep, and that is where the subscription sits. The Games Master subscribes; everybody else at the table just turns up and plays.

It also makes the invitation easy. "Come and try this, it's free and I'll handle everything" is a sentence people say yes to.

Three prices, one product

The three annual GM tiers exist for one reason only: some people want to support the project more than others. They unlock exactly the same features. Nothing is held back behind the higher price, and nothing ever will be.

Fifteen per cent of profits go to Future Stars in Ghana, which is the other reason the higher tiers are there for people who want them.

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